Phil Stephenson, recently elected Republican District 85 state representative, said some of the issues he is concerned with are education, transportation infrastructure and water. He stands near the Colorado River.Phil Stephenson, recently elected Republican District 85 state representative, said some of the issues he is concerned with are education, transportation infrastructure and water. He stands near the Colorado River.

As lawmakers head into the 83rd legislative session, they will be grappling with some far-reaching, diverse and urgent issues, none more so than education.

For state Rep. Phil Stephenson, freshman Republican for the new District 85, encompassing Rosenberg and Needville, parts of Fort Bend County and Wharton and Jackson counties, education, transportation infrastructure and water are major concerns for him and his constituents.

While public safety, fiscal discipline, economic development and children's health and education are priorities for seasoned state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican representing Senate District 17, comprising Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties.

Having been a trustee on the board of Wharton County Junior College for 16 years until Stephenson took state office, fixing public education from kindergarten through 12th grade is essential.

"We've got to do a better job of K-12 education," he said. "We have to have a properly educated work force."

He wants to cut the amount of testing under the State of Texas Assessments for Academic Readiness, put more teachers in classrooms, pay them more and bring in more programs for higher education.

A certified public accountant, Stephenson supports restoring some funding to education but not all the $5.3 billion that was cut in the last session. Rather than raise taxes, he said lawmakers must look at areas to cut funding, such as the Texas Education Agency, to spread the money around.

Stephenson said lawmakers also will have to figure how to fund maintenance and construction of roads for the state's booming population and what to do about water.

"Water in rural counties is very important," he said, pointing to the need last year to leave 60,000 acres fallow in his district because there wasn't enough water from the Colorado River to water crops. "Those are issues that aren't going away."

"We know that businesses are here and thrive when education is strong," she said. "When you look at the tremendous growth in Fort Bend County, it's because we have strong schools."

Schmidt said transportation is another concern for chamber members.

"We are extremely concerned about the lack of funding and are hoping that the group of elected officials we are sending to Austin will address that," said Schmidt, throwing out the idea of raising the cost of automobile registration and allowing gaming to bring in more revenue.

On law and order, the former prosecutor and judge filed Senate Bill 12, allowing evidence of prior similar offenses to be admitted in cases of sexual assault and sexual abuse of children. Currently, a defendant's criminal sexual record is admissible as evidence only in cases where a child was previously victimized by the same person.

"When the testimony of a young child is all the evidence the state can present against the word of an adult, juries often find it difficult to determine guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," Huffman said in a written statement. "Yet if there have been outcries by other children against the same defendant, their testimony can be relevant and have crucially important value."

Huffman, vice chairwoman of the Criminal Justice Commission and member of the Jurisprudence, State Affairs, Health and Human Services and Higher Education Committees, will carry legislation that requires specialty court programs to register with the governor's office and follow best practices to ensure that they are effectively accomplishing their intended purpose.